Some will wonder why the History Channel doesn't just finally own up and rebrand itself as the Vaguely-History-Related-Entertainment Channel, but this actually looks better than any of the things I've seen on there lately (although whether it actually is any good remains to be seen).

Interesting, especially what the producers have to say. I also note that the use of biological agents by the Earthians has been downplayed on the
web site. Had the Martians had won no doubt Earthian leaders would have been put on trial for war crimes.

I also note that the use of biological agents by the Earthians has been downplayed on the web site. Had the Martians had won no doubt Earthian leaders would have been put on trial for war crimes.

Assuming the Martians behave similarly to the ones in the books, they gassed human cities and literally drank the blood of anyone unlucky enough to be captured alive. Any effective method of resistance is justified under those circumstances.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by 09camaro

shapes are the backbone of any sufficiently advanced technology that has been applied to military and civilian use.

Interesting, especially what the producers have to say. I also note that the use of biological agents by the Earthians has been downplayed on the
web site. Had the Martians had won no doubt Earthian leaders would have been put on trial for war crimes.

"War crimes? What the shitting fuck does that mean?" asks the Martian Colonial-Governor as he plunders the blood out of an entire shire's worth of humans for his private wine collection.

Well I have just finished watching The Great Martian War, and I have mixed feelings that fall into positives and negatives based on two categories - having been a huge War of the Worlds fan since the age of 7/8 (of the book and musical) and being an alternate history fan.

Ok so the premise is slightly different, it is not at the end of the 19th century in Britain but contemporary to the first world war as the title suggests, ok I can deal with this, it ain't in the present so I am happy, it is a pretty darn good premise, and the cylinder concept is adapted from being a dozen or more into one pretty huge one that creates an 8 mile wide impact crater in Germany that is accused of being a super-weapon test - shweet I am loving it so far...

So Germany is wiped clean as far as we're concerned and much of the world is gathering in France - wicked, we have the equivalent of the western front being struck up. Then they face the Tripods - and they are some pretty beastie interpretations, you have the Herons, pretty faithful to Well's original description, look great, 100ft-150ft tall badass machines, I even like the name strangely, and you also have the Spiders that are 20-30ft tall and look pretty much alike and work as a pack like dogs - the WoTW fan in me can handle this, its all black and white footage with these Machines superimposed very well on the WWI real footage, awesome... Then I am told two things that sicken me, they are cardinal sins as far as I am concerned as a diehard WoTW fan: A) The Herons use 'energy canons' - THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HEAT-RAYS!!! B) They have (this hurts even more) DAMN ENERGY SHIELDS - WHYYY!!!!!

Ok, now I have to say, they pull this off way better than Steve Spielberg, I don't have a break down, because I was gripped, well done History channel as far as I am concerned you out did a film that was in the multi millions even 20mins in because you don't have this huge bubble shield crap, and the war starts to follow pretty much along the lines of OTL war but with some vital things missing - Russia, Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire are missing, entirely, no mention at all =[ I am gutted with hindsight, a mention here and there was all that was needed to put me off the scent of a gaping plot hole.

Ok I won't spoil too much more, only the first 20 mins of two hours...

So if you are a hardcore take no prisoners AH or WoTW kinda person, your going to go a little insane. And I am very much usually the latter. But if you can put your zeal aside as I did, this is actually rather enjoyable, and rather unique really, I think History pulled it off, and for them it is a rather lavish achievement, and some twists and ideas are rather pushing the boat out (mostly for the better), such as the 'Lice' (I liked), the use of naval warfare (which I actually think should of been omitted in favour of Well's Martian flying machine) and several other interpretations and adaptions done rather well.

The use of f*cking horses as a charge at the end was ridiculous though, *cries*.

It gets a single thumb up from me. It is oddly the most enjoyable serious TV adaptation I have seen. The footage of tripods and trenches does something to you.

So Germany is wiped clean as far as we're concerned and much of the world is gathering in France

I hated this along with absence of the Eastern front. If it's going to be a "Great Martian War", I want the Entente to have join forces with the Central Powers in desperation to fight an apocalyptic war of annihilation that would make the Nazi-Soviet front look restrained and genteel in comparison.

Instead we just got the Western Allies fighting gullible aliens that were manipulated into the fight by the liquid metal from Terminator 2. I want the Martians to be tentacled horrors that gas POWs and round up civilians like cattle and drink their blood!

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Quote:

Originally Posted by 09camaro

shapes are the backbone of any sufficiently advanced technology that has been applied to military and civilian use.

I hated this along with absence of the Eastern front. If it's going to be a "Great Martian War", I want the Entente to have join forces with the Central Powers in desperation to fight an apocalyptic war of annihilation that would make the Nazi-Soviet front look restrained and genteel in comparison.

Instead we just got the Western Allies fighting gullible aliens that were manipulated into the fight by the liquid metal from Terminator 2. I want the Martians to be tentacled horrors that gas POWs and round up civilians like cattle and drink their blood!

Well said, I am tempted to make a timeline, more faithful to Well's concepts and more acceptable in an AH sense, a WWI WorldWar series style TL but with H.G.Well's Martians.

I think a better twist at the end would have been that Earth is invading Mars, meaning this time Earth is the angry population destroying invaders

Has been done several times - a particularly good (in my eyes) take is the graphic novel Scarlet Traces a sequel to Well's book, or more specifically in regards to this Scarlet Traces:The Great Game set in the 40's after Britain has undergone a 2nd industrial revolution after the original invasion - Britain has become the dominant global power with Martian reverse engineered tech and takes the war to mars.

Humanity mash up some Martian war machine and retrive an alien metal from it, the thing is describe as living and sentient. It allow the humans to develop some energy weapon. The substance become a pretty critical part of post-war living. The thing is that after humanity cracked the alien language 100 years later after the war, they are getting hint that the metal somewhat drove the martians to invade earth and that Earth will embark of similar behavior so that it keep spreading the thing around the milky way

My main issue is that the twist in itself don't feel like it matter or rhyme with the rest of the story a lot and its a bit out of the left field

Some will wonder why the History Channel doesn't just finally own up and rebrand itself as the Vaguely-History-Related-Entertainment Channel, but this actually looks better than any of the things I've seen on there lately (although whether it actually is any good remains to be seen).

The whole thing seems like a wasted opportunity to me, like with the Central Powers either annihilated at the start or completely out of the picture, and the weird twists at the end also seems nonsensical.